LONDON — Erling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City pummelled West Ham 4-1 in the English Premier League while in-form Newcastle inflicted another painful defeat on Ange Postecoglou’s struggling Tottenham Hotspur.
An early goal from Arsenal teenager Ethan Nwaneri was cancelled out by a penalty from Joao Pedro as Brighton held the misfiring Arsenal to a 1-1 draw that dented the visitors’ title hopes.
While City boss Pep Guardiola said he would sleep better after the 4-1 Premier League rout of West Ham, he brushed off suggestions that his team was back to being the “old Manchester City”.
Erling Haaland bagged his first double in a league game since September and Savinho set up three goals in City’s victory that left them sixth in the table and two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.
Though City won back-to-back games for the first time since October, Guardiola said it was not a sign that their slump was over.
“No, you judge the results,” he told reporters after the crowd-pleasing win at Etihad Stadium. “We saw in many years our level. We are not at our level.
“Don’t misunderstand me. I’m so happy. I will sleep better until the FA Cup (City host Salford City on Jan. 11). But you watched the games for years, we’re not at the level, come on. Against Everton we played much better than. And we draw, big crisis, disaster.
“Of course there are positives. If you ask me the team is playing like the years, of course not,” Guardiola added according to Reuters.
Often-injured Kevin De Bruyne played the full match, a positive sign just a day after Guardiola said the Belgian’s fitness and form would be assessed before the club decides on a contract extension. De Bruyne’s current deal expires in June.
The 33-year-old, who has scored two goals and provided his third assist of the season on Phil Foden’s second-half goal, shrugged off questions about his contract status after the win.
“I don’t care,” De Bruyne told the BBC. “I am just trying to get back to my level. I feel every week I am getting better. I can go for 90 minutes now. It has been an uncomfortable couple of months with the injury.”
Guardiola gave Savinho a mixed review after he assisted on Haaland’s goals and his deflected shot in the 10th minute led to an own goal by Vladimir Coufal. The Brazilian had scored his first goal in a City shirt in their 2-0 win over Leicester City only six days earlier.
“He’s clean in his mind. He doesn’t think nothing in his head in the past,” the manager said. “Normally many years here, the players think they deserve something special for what they have done. Big mistake.
“(But) Savio has to do everything to win,” Guardiola added.
“Having a left foot in the left side, old-fashioned vintage football. Has a lot to improve, not aggressive enough without the ball, a little soft in many departments. Right now has something special for the team. I’m so happy for him and he deserves to play.”
Elsewhere, Leon Bailey scored the winner in Aston Villa’s 2-1 Premier League victory over Leicester City, after Stephy Mavididi’s equaliser had cancelled out Ross Barkley’s strike in an action-packed second half.
Leicester, who contained Villa’s attack effectively in the first half, suffered their fifth loss in a row to remain 19th in the table, while eighth-placed Villa got their first win in three matches to move to 32 points, three points below the top five.
“Leicester were well organised. They look a lot better a side now, the manager has them well drilled but I am happy our team has come away with the three points,” Barkley said after netting his third league goal of the season.
Barkley, starting a league match for the third time this season, hammered home from outside the box in the 58th minute when an attempt to keep out Youri Tielemans’s shot from the left reached him.
The visitors struck back five minutes later when Emiliano Martinez’s save to deny Jamie Vardy fell to Mavididi who made no mistake from close range.
Bailey secured the three points for the hosts with a neat finish from Ian Maatsen’s short pass in the 76th minute, his first league goal this season.
“I´m very happy… we are trying to start the second part of this season motivated with the points we are achieving,” Villa manager Unai Emery said after his side extended their unbeaten home run to nine league matches.
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